


A Valentine for Jesper

by Feriku



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Secret Admirer, Supportive Kuwei, Valentine's Day, anime fan Wylan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 19:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feriku/pseuds/Feriku
Summary: Behind all his flirtation and jokes, Jesper Fahey secretly worries no one will ever want a serious relationship with him. Meanwhile, Wylan Van Eck struggles to work up the courage to confess his feelings to the older boy.With Valentine's Day approaching, this might be the chance they both need...





	1. Valentine

Jesper had always loved Valentine’s Day.

He liked to flirt with most of the school no matter what day it was—and if he missed any classmates, Nina filled in the gaps, much to her grumpy boyfriend’s dismay—but Valentine’s Day gave him an actual excuse to do it. It made it acceptable, if you would.

So he flirted and charmed and thanked whoever made it possible to have an entire day just to celebrate romance.

But this year, something felt different.

He stared at the heart-shaped decorations in the school hallway and thought about how the previous year’s Valentine’s Day had gone. It had been the same the year before that, too. All of his flirtation was done in jest and everyone knew it. His old girlfriends and boyfriends had long since moved on, and it didn’t seem like anyone new was coming to take their place.

Tomorrow, things would be exactly the same. He’d flirt, people would laugh and flirt back, and yet no one would flirt with him and mean it sincerely.

No one would give him one of those “Be Mine” hearts because they genuinely wanted him to be theirs.

No one would ask him for a kiss and really, honestly want it to mean something.

No one would bring him a valentine.

Back in elementary school, everyone was forced to give valentines to everyone else in the class, which rather defeated the purpose, but once they reached high school, that tradition ended. Only a few valentines circulated: ones between couples, ones sent as pranks, and the rarest, ones sent by admirers in the hopes that Valentine’s Day made their dreams come true.

But none ever came for Jesper.

“Why are you sulking?” Nina asked, as they walked to their lockers together as they did nearly every day after classes ended.

“Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. And I’m not sulking.”

“Come on, I haven’t seen you pout this much about Valentine’s Day since Kaz turned you down.”

Jesper groaned. “Does everyone remember that?”

“It’s a hard thing to forget,” she said with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes. That probably had been the worst Valentine’s Day of his life, come to think of it. He still remembered how nervous and hopeful he’d felt, and how crushed he was when Kaz told him in no uncertain terms that he was not interested.

“Just wish someone felt that way about me,” Jesper mumbled under his breath.

Nina patted his arm. “Someday. You’ll find your match.”

“Yeah, sure.”

They passed two guys from the grade below them, who were both staring at them for some reason, and then continued on their way to their lockers.

#

Wylan had always hated Valentine’s Day, and seeing Jesper Fahey the day before just made it all the more painful.

A light nudge pulled him from his thoughts. “What was _that_?”

He reluctantly stopped staring after the tall senior and turned to face Kuwei. Kuwei knew better than to smack Wylan’s arm to get his attention, since physical blows and sudden movements sometimes brought back bad memories—and sometimes Wylan came to school with concealed injuries.

That didn’t stop Kuwei from looking aggravated with him, however. “Seriously, what was that? He walked right by you, and you didn’t say anything.”

Wylan blushed and opened his locker. “Didn’t have anything to say.”

“Sure you did. ‘Hey Jesper, do you want to go out with me?’ That’s all you have to do.”

He shoved his books into his backpack and shut the locker door. “I don’t want to rush into anything.”

Kuwei rolled his eyes. “You’ve been drooling over him since last year. That’s hardly rushing.”

With a sigh, Wylan shouldered his backpack. “He wouldn’t look twice at me.” The thought of what might happen if he actually had the nerve to ask someone as popular as Jesper Fahey out on a date made him shudder.

He’d asked out one boy in his life, right when he first started to notice cute guys around him. That classmate had moved away before they became freshmen, thank goodness. Wylan’s blushing, stammering question would have been embarrassing enough even if it hadn’t been met with a nastier response than if the boy had just laughed. If Jesper did the same thing, Wylan might die on the spot.

He started down the hallway toward the office.

Kuwei hurried after him. “What, so you’re never going to ask? You’re just going to stare longingly every time you see him?”

“I don’t—” Wylan cut off his protest as they neared the seniors’ lockers.

Jesper was still there, talking to his friend Nina. Both of them laughed at something, probably a joke the handsome boy had told. His grin was infectious; Wylan wanted to smile too. Jesper leaned against his locker, with his long, dark fingers splayed against the cool metal, so gorgeous it was hard to breathe in his presence.

He glanced in their direction, and Wylan quickly averted his gaze. All right, so maybe he _did_ stare longingly sometimes.

“Ask!” Kuwei tried ineffectually to push Wylan toward Jesper.

Not a chance. He quickened his pace to get past the seniors as fast as he could.

“You’re hopeless,” Kuwei said with a sigh.

#

Jesper watched with some puzzlement as the two juniors raced down the hall, grateful for a distraction from his unhappy thoughts. For a moment there, he was sure the blond kid had been about to say something to him, but then it seemed like he and his friend got into some sort of scuffle.

“Who was that?” he asked.

Nina followed his gaze. “The one who looks like he’s hyperventilating, or the other one?”

“The nervous one.”

“That’s Wylan Van Eck.”

Jesper blinked in surprise and took another look as the two boys finally started walking at a normal pace again. “The rich kid? That’s him?” He knew millionaire Jan Van Eck’s son went to their school, but he never actually met him before. “I always pictured him as more of the confident swaggering type.”

She shrugged. “Matthias knows him from band. He says he’s quiet and easily startled.”

“Huh. Didn’t Kaz say he’s seen Van Eck in detention for refusing to answer questions in class? I figured he had an attitude problem.”

“So he’s nervous _and_ has a bad attitude,” Nina said. “Not everyone is a robot like Kaz.”

Jesper shrugged. “Well, whatever. Hope it’s nothing too bad that’s got him upset.”

Poor kid did seem like he was on edge. Easily startled, huh? Well, Jesper was an _expert_ at making people relax. If he could get Van Eck alone for five minutes, he’d tease him into relaxing one way or another, guaranteed.

But that was exactly the sort of thing that got Jesper into this mess. Everyone would wave it away as good ol’ Jesper flirting again and remind themselves that he was happy with his lack of commitment.

If he ever wanted that to change, he had to stop flirting with people so much. Jesper scowled at the lockers. How was he supposed to find anyone if he couldn’t flirt?

“Maybe Van Eck doesn’t like Valentine’s Day either,” Nina said.

“I like Valentine’s Day,” Jesper said. “I just wish I had a valentine.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then ask someone out.”

“But I’m not interested in anyone. That’s the problem.”

“Jesper…”

“Relax, I’ll get over it.”

Everyone expected him to, after all. Most of his classmates would never imagine the sorts of things he was thinking about. They all assumed he didn’t want anyone, that he didn’t want to be tied down, so he’d never look for a committed relationship. He was “free.” For that matter, they’d probably assume that if he wanted to be with someone, he could just snap his fingers. That was how they always made it sound.

They’d never suspect he increasingly saw a future where he ended up alone.

#

Wylan didn’t dare speak again until he and Kuwei reached the office. Once they sat down in their usual spot near the door, he sighed. “I can’t ask him, Kuwei. I just can’t.”

The two of them had first met while sitting in the office after school. Wylan’s father always sent a chauffeur to pick him up, but sometimes he ran late. Kuwei, meanwhile, waited for his father to finish work so they could go home together. Since Wylan and Kuwei often had several minutes with nothing to do, they ended up talking and eventually became friends.

It was a comforting part of the day, a little bit of free time where Wylan could imagine what a different life might be like, a life when he could hang out with his friends and not have to worry.

Kuwei shook his head. “I’m starting to think you don’t really want to go out with him.”

“What? Of course I do!” Dating Jesper would be amazing. Even talking to him would make Wylan’s day better than most days were, if he could just work up the nerve. “He’s so handsome and he has perfect lips, and it’s more than just his looks, he’s funny and—”

“I know,” Kuwei said. “You’ve been singing his praises for months. In fact, you know what? You’ve convinced me. If you won’t ask him out, I will.”

Wylan stared at him. “What?”

“I’m going to ask Jesper out.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Why not?” Kuwei folded his arms. “You aren’t going to. You haven’t even talked to him. The closest you came was when he dropped his pencil last month and you rolled it vaguely in his direction while avoiding eye contact.”

Wylan blushed.

“So am I just supposed to wait around in case you consider asking him someday? Nope. If you aren’t going to make a move, nothing’s stopping me.”

Wait… Kuwei sounded serious about this.

Not being with Jesper was bad enough. Lacking the courage to speak to him was downright infuriating. But seeing his best friend with Jesper… that would be agony.

“Please don’t,” Wylan said. “I couldn’t stand it.”

“But you’re not going to approach him? You’re just going to keep watching and wishing and feeling sorry for yourself until he graduates?”

Wylan sighed and stared down at his hands. In his dreams, he asked Jesper out. He walked up to the older boy like a completely different Wylan, confident and happy. And of course, since it was a dream, it ended with Jesper professing his undying love and sweeping him off to a quiet spot where they made out until Wylan woke up and remembered that no one would ever want him.

“He’s a senior,” Kuwei said. “You realize he’s going to graduate at the end of this year, right? Then you might never see him again.”

That was true. All he’d have left were the dreams, and he’d always wonder if it could have worked out. How badly would it hurt when Jesper rejected him? Would it be worse than never knowing? Was it worth the risk?

Wylan took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll ask him out.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

Kuwei shook his head. “Not good enough. You’ve been saying things like that ever since you started crushing on him.”

“Again, I don’t want to rush into anything…”

“Don’t think of it as me going out with him,” Kuwei said. “Think of it as a favor to you. You know, I’ll find out if he really is as wonderful as you think. I’ll get _all_ the details you want. What is he like in private, how does he kiss, what are—”

“Tomorrow!” Wylan blurted.

Kuwei stopped. His jaw dropped. “You’re actually going to do it? You’re going to ask him out tomorrow? For real?”

“Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I’m going to send him a valentine.”


	2. The Problem With Anonymous Valentines

Valentine’s Day went just like Jesper expected. A whole day of laughing and pretending he was just as happy as everyone else, while inwardly wishing someone would look at him and want him seriously.

“But you got valentines,” Nina said, as they walked to their lockers at the end of the day.

“I got candy given to me as a joke, while I joked back about how good-looking I am. You know that’s not the same.”

He tried not to think about the bouquet of flowers Nina had been carrying all day. Even though she sometimes matched him with the flirting, in the end she and Matthias were a couple to last.

Chivalrous and old-fashioned as Matthias was, of course he got her flowers. No one got Jesper flowers. No one would ever think to.

“I don’t even like flowers,” he said out loud.

Nina glanced at him. “Sorry? Are my flowers annoying you?”

“Oh. No.”

He didn’t want flowers. If someone gave him a bouquet of flowers, he’d feel weird. Wouldn’t know what to do with them. Except… it would mean someone picked out flowers just for him.

“All right,” Nina said, “who is it?”

“What?”

“Who are you daydreaming about that has you all worked up about not getting flowers on Valentine’s Day?”

“No one.” Jesper shoved his hands into his pockets and tried not to look at all the couples they passed in the halls. People _liked_ him. If he had a crush on someone, he could probably at least get a date. “Just wish someone felt that way about me. That’s all.”

How many people besides Nina had noticed his odd behavior? Kaz and Inej seemed to know something was up, but they never pressed him to talk if he didn’t want to. Nina probably told Matthias, or would eventually.

The rest of their classmates, on the other hand… If they noticed anything, they didn’t care. They treated him the same as ever, laughing and joking and talking about what a big flirt he was. Just like always. No one acted any different.

Well, almost no one. Those two juniors from the other day were staring at him again. Van Eck looked terrified. Jesper almost stopped to ask him if he was okay, because he really seemed upset by something, but convinced himself to keep walking.

If he tried to help Wylan Van Eck, he’d end up flirting with him, and that would just continue the cycle. Best to let him work out whatever his issues were on his own.

With a sigh, Jesper finally reached his own locker and twisted the combination lock. Once a few days passed and people stopped displaying hearts and chocolates everywhere, he’d feel better. He pulled the locker door open.

A small, pink envelope fell to the ground.

For a moment, Jesper simply stared at the unexpected valentine in shock. Then he grabbed it and tore it open as fast as he could. There was a chance it was just a prank, but if not, someone had taken the time to get him a valentine and stick it in his locker.

Inside the envelope, a piece of red paper had been folded into the shape of a heart. It had no message, but instead featured a hand-drawn picture of a tiny cute figure holding out a heart. The meaning was obvious even without words, since similar “Will you be my valentine?” art could be seen everywhere this time of year.

Jesper turned the card over and then tried the envelope, but there was no name anywhere.

“Ooh,” Nina said, “I think you have a secret admirer.”

He turned to her with a grin… and then his smile faded. “Yeah, but if I don’t know how it is, how am I supposed to respond?”

Having a secret admirer didn’t get him any closer to a date as long as the admirer remained secret.

No one around them appeared to be paying much attention, so he squinted at the illustration in the hopes that it might provide some clues. The adorable little figure had blond hair, but not much else he could identify.

“Whoever it is will probably approach you,” Nina said.

“Sure,” he said. “Any idea if this is a boy or a girl?”

She eyed the image and frowned. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell with some of those chibi drawings.”

Jesper cleared his throat. “Um, ‘chibi’?”

“That sort of deformed character style,” she said. “It’s meant to look cute. It’s a Japanese thing.”

“It’s definitely cute. Does this mean my admirer is Japanese?”

Nina rubbed her chin. “Not necessarily. Lots of people have adapted that art style, especially if they’re anime fans.”

“So I’m looking for an anime fan,” he said. “Great. That narrows it down… a little.”

She rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you just wait for the person to approach you?”

“I can’t!” Jesper clutched the valentine to his chest. “If I sent someone an anonymous valentine like this, it would be because I was scared they’d reject me and didn’t want to risk hearing it directly.”

“Well, you’re interested, right?”

“Yes. Potentially. I mean, it could be anyone.” He stared at the drawing. “Although if they did this… this must have taken a lot of time. It’s pretty cute, too. I wonder if that means they’re cute.”

Nina rolled her eyes.

“I’ve got to let my mysterious valentine know I appreciate it. Is it possible the person who left it was spying on my locker?” No, that might be too obvious. They’d be afraid of giving themselves away. “Maybe I should spend the whole day tomorrow announcing how much I liked my valentine.” But then he still might miss the person, and trying to say it in earshot of everyone in school would be rough.”

If only there was a way to let everyone know at once, to guarantee the sender knew it had been well-received.

Wait…

Jesper grinned.

“Uh-oh,” Nina said. “I know that scheming face. What are you planning?”

“Don’t worry. Everything will go fine.”

#

“You are the most infuriating person I know,” Kuwei said as they sat down in homeroom the next day.

Wylan glared at him. “I’m doing my best.”

“Your best? You gave him an _anonymous_ valentine! You know the problem with anonymous valentines? He has literally no idea who you are!”

“It’s just the first step,” Wylan said.

“You said you’d ask him out. Well, you didn’t.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Kuwei groaned. “Just… why anonymous? Why? What good does that do?”

Wylan ducked his head. “I included a picture. If he thinks the picture is dumb or throws the valentine away or something, then I’ll know it would never work out.”

“Right. The absolute best way to determine whether or not you’re compatible with someone is to give him an anonymous love letter and then not even be nearby when he opens it.”

“I was afraid I’d blush or start crying if he didn’t like it.”

“You’re hopeless,” Kuwei said.

Wylan sighed and rubbed his forehead. When he left school before Valentine’s Day, he really had planned to ask Jesper out like he promised he would. Then he got home and dealt with his father, and the whole thing left him with too many reminders that he wasn’t the sort of person anyone would want to date.

Drawing the picture brought him some measure of consolation. He made the character look slightly like himself, but cuter, and tried to convey shy hopefulness through his art. Whenever Wylan drew or played music, he felt like he was transported to another world where he didn’t have to worry about his pain or fears or being a failure.

He’d planned to write his name at the bottom.

But then all his fears hit him at once. He could imagine it too clearly—handsome, devastatingly gorgeous Jesper finding a valentine from _Wylan._ Jesper, repeating his name in disbelief. Jesper, laughing and throwing it aside, or worse yet, seeking him out to demand why the weird rich kid who couldn’t even read had the nerve to give him a valentine.

That part echoed through his imagination the most. Jesper would eventually find out. He’d learn he couldn’t read. Wylan covered his ears as though he might be able to shut out the sound of his father’s voice berating him, but it didn’t work when the voice was in his head.

Kuwei glanced at him. “Hey, you okay?”

“Fine.”

Kuwei knew and never treated him badly about it. But Jesper wasn’t Kuwei. Not for the first time, Wylan wished he could have fallen in love with his best friend instead. It would simplify things.

He wrapped his arms around himself. He had to get over it. If he had any hope of ever asking Jesper out for real, he needed to be prepared for the day his dyslexia would be a source of conversation. It wouldn’t be like talking to his father. It wouldn’t, it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t.

Then it was time for the morning announcements, so Wylan turned his attention to the screen. They used to use the loudspeaker for announcements, but one year the school installed TVs in every classroom. Ever since then, a pair of students appeared on-screen each morning to give the announcements.

“Good morning everyone,” the first student said. “Today we—”

She cut off abruptly as there was some sort of commotion in the background. The second student glanced around and then disappeared off-screen. The first continued with the announcements, although she glanced over her shoulder from time to time.

Finally, the second student returned. “Sorry about that. We have a new announcement, which I’ve been assured is very impor—”

Jesper Fahey stepped in front of the camera.

Wylan straightened in his seat. Staring was probably a bad idea if he wanted to keep his crush a secret from his classmates, but every time he saw Jesper, he couldn’t help but admire his stormy gray eyes and perfectly-shaped lips and the way his face changed when he smiled and—

“Hello secret admirer,” Jesper said, and Wylan nearly passed out. “I know you’re out there somewhere, admiring my beautiful interruption of your normal morning announcements.” He lifted his arms and turned in a slow circle with a roguish grin.

Since he’d been expressly invited, Wylan _did_ admire the show.

Behind Jesper, someone shouted, and he quickly faced the camera again. “Oops, gotta make this quick. Anyway, whoever sent me that adorable valentine, that was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, and I really want to chat. I get the message and I want to be your valentine.”

A teacher appeared on camera and gave Jesper a stern look.

He reluctantly turned and walked off-screen again, although he shouted over his shoulder, “Come to me, my darling!”

Then the announcements resumed as usual.

Kuwei cleared his throat. “You got drool on your notebook.”

“I did not,” Wylan said, although he checked just to make sure. Dry. Thank goodness. If he started literally drooling over Jesper, that would be one embarrassment too far.

“So what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

Kuwei rolled his eyes and gave the TV a meaningful look.

“I don’t know.” Wylan fiddled with his pencil and hoped their classmates wouldn’t notice the reddening of his cheeks. “I mean, he still doesn’t know it’s me. He doesn’t know anything about me.”

Judging by the way Jesper had absolutely no reaction every time they passed each other in the halls, he might not even know he existed.

“Yes,” Kuwei said, “that’s sort of the whole problem.”

Still, Jesper’s request sounded genuine, and very appealing. It wouldn’t be hard to approach him… Well, yes, it would. It would be the hardest thing in the world. Dear lord, he couldn’t imagine which was the worst possible outcome, Jesper sneering at him for daring to have a crush on him or laughing at him when he learned about his dyslexia.

But Jesper wouldn’t be like that… would he…?

Wylan tapped his pencil against his notebook for a while and then started sketching in the margins. Not a final product, but the basic outline for the art he’d put into a more proper format later.

Kuwei glanced over his shoulder. “Oh no. You’re not giving him another valentine, are you?”

“Yes.”

“In person?”

“No.”

“Tell me you’re at least going to sign it this time.”

Wylan ignored his question and continued drawing. The heart had been a good touch for Valentine’s Day, but this one should be friendly. Two little chibi figures meeting. He’d keep the vaguely Wylan-like appearance for his and make a more detailed Jesper figure for the other.

He grinned. Chibi Jesper was adorable.

“You know,” Kuwei said, “if you keep this up, you’re going to start edging over the line from ‘admirer’ to ‘stalker.’”

“Don’t worry,” Wylan said. “I have a plan.”

#

The day ended without anyone running up to Jesper to confess their love, much to his dismay. He thought for sure his heartfelt announcement to the school would bring his admirer into the open.

“Watch him be absent today of all days,” he said under his breath as he and Nina walked to their lockers, past Van Eck and his friend who appeared to be arguing over something again.

“Oh?” Nina asked. “So you’ve decided it’s a him?”

“I think the artwork is a guy,” Jesper said. “And I figure it’s supposed to represent the person who sent it.”

“He’s probably just shy.”

“Yeah.”

Despite the difficulties it raised, Jesper couldn’t help but smirk at the idea of finding a quiet corner with his shy admirer, kissing while teasing him with the possibility that they might be caught, slowly coaxing him into opening up more…

Lost in his fantasies, Jesper nearly walked headlong into someone. He jumped back in surprise and frowned at Matthias. “Watch where you’re going next time.”

“Me?” Matthias asked.

Nina shook her head. “Don’t mind Jesper. He has a lot on his mind.”

“I knew that by the way he hijacked this morning’s announcements.”

Jesper snorted. “You don’t have to sound so disapproving. Sometimes these things are necessary.”

He opened his locker—and to his surprise, a second card was waiting. He grabbed it and opened it eagerly. Another pink envelope, another heart-shaped card, and another illustration, this time of two little—whatever Nina called them, chibi?—two little chibi figures shaking hands.

“Ah!” He held it out for Nina and Matthias to see. “Look! It’s me! Look how cute he drew me!”

Nina rolled her eyes.

“Still no name?” Matthias asked.

Jesper turned the card over for any identification and then shook his head with a sigh. “Nothing. Definitely the same artist, though.”

“He must have a reason,” Matthias said. “He must think he can’t reveal himself to you. Perhaps your love is forbidden.”

Jesper snorted. “What, so he’s closeted? I can narrow it down to everyone who isn’t openly gay? That’s even less helpful than knowing he likes anime.”

“It still could be a girl, too,” Nina said.

Matthias frowned. “Whoever it is, they must be afraid to approach you.”

“Then I’ll just have to figure it out and approach him first.”

Nina clapped her hands together. “This calls for some detective work.”


	3. A Prettier Holmes and a Sexier Watson

At lunch the next day, Jesper and Nina sat down with a blank notebook. “Clue number one,” Nina said, writing as she spoke, “whoever is giving Jesper these valentines is able to reach his locker before we get there.”

Jesper nodded. “So his final class of the day must be closer to my locker than ours is.”

“ _Or,_ ” she said, “your admirer is someone who runs very fast.”

“That should narrow it down.”

Kaz cleared his throat. “Or they delivered the valentine at another time of the day, gave it to someone else to deliver, or found an excuse to be in the hall before class ended. Your first clue is worthless.”

Spoilsport. Jesper scowled. “Why do you even care? I didn’t think this was the sort of thing that would interest you.”

“It doesn’t, but at least you’ll have someone to pine over who isn’t me.”

He threw his hands in the air. “Will you people never forget that?”

Jokes aside, he appreciated Kaz. He really did. But he could be infuriating, especially when he acted like he knew better than anyone else.

“Kaz has a point,” Inej said. “You aren’t going to figure out who sent those cards like this unless someone witnessed it. Besides, isn’t tracking the kid down a little creepy?”

Nina folded her arms. “It’s not creepy at all. It’s like Sherlock Holmes.”

“Sherlock Holmes?” Inej repeated.

“Yes. I’m Holmes. Except much prettier, of course.”

Jesper grinned. “If that’s the case, I’m probably the sexiest Watson that ever existed.”

With a sigh, Inej looked at Matthias, who offered a helpless shrug.

“Clue number two,” Nina said. “The construction of the card itself. Red paper. Pink envelope. These are important.”

“It was Valentine’s Day,” Inej said.

Jesper snapped his fingers. “But if the materials came from the school—”

“Exactly!” Nina wrote down the materials used for the card and circled them. “It just so happens that the art room has envelopes and red paper that perfectly match those used in the two valentines. Is it possible that the admirer got them somewhere else? Of course. But we need to follow every clue we have.”

#

“Someone who came to request red construction paper?” the art teacher asked. “I’m afraid I don’t remember anything like that.”

Jesper’s shoulders slumped. It seemed like such a good lead, too.

“What about the envelopes?” Nina asked. “What did you use them for?”

“Oh, my advanced art class did a project involving valentines.”

Hope restored, Jesper tried to keep his voice casual. “Advanced art class? Did anyone take extra envelopes, more than they’d need?”

“Everyone was allowed to take as many as they wanted, especially since some wanted to do more than one project.”

He frowned. “Well, who all is in the class?”

“A few juniors, a few seniors.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Was it inappropriate to tell a teacher that one was attempting to pin down the identity of one’s secret admirer? Frozen, Jesper was still trying to think of an answer when Nina grabbed him by the arm and steered him toward the door.

“Thank you very much!” she called over her shoulder.

Out in the hall, he frowned at her. “Didn’t you want more information?”

“If we asked too many questions, she’d get suspicious.” Nina tapped the side of her head. “Fortunately, in our next class, we have a resource far more valuable.”

“Our next class is in the computer lab,” he said. “We’re going to figure this out with computers?”

“We have something better than computers. We have Kaz.”

#

“No,” Kaz said.

Jesper sat down on one side of him. Nina sat on the other. Together, they gave their friend the most pleading, hopeful looks they could manage, guaranteed to sway even the iciest of hearts.

Kaz ignored them.

Jesper threw his hands in the air. “Come on, everyone knows you can access sensitive information. What’s the harm in pulling up a class list for us?”

“Give me one good reason why I should help you stalk your admirer.”

“We’re your friends!” Nina said.

“And you wanted me to stop pining over you,” Jesper said.

Kaz’s gaze was cold enough to extinguish fires. “Please tell me you’ve already stopped.”

While Jesper debated over whether it was worth humiliating himself to blackmail Kaz into helping them by pretending to be hopelessly infatuated, Nina said, “It’s all right. Rumors do get overblown, after all.”

Kaz narrowed his eyes. “I _could_ do it if I wanted to.”

“It’s fine if you can’t. We understand.”

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to manipulate me into doing this to prove myself to you.”

“We believe you,” Nina said. “Don’t we, Jesper?”

Jesper met her gaze and nodded with a sympathetic smile as though they were both just humoring Kaz.

He glared at them in return. “If I do it, will you two leave me alone?”

“Yes,” Jesper said.

“Cross my heart,” Nina said.

Kaz shook his head. “Fine. I’ll have something for you by the end of class.”

#

“Really?” Kuwei asked. “ _Another_ valentine? What are you going to do when you run out of red paper?”

Wylan put the finishing touches on his latest picture. “This is the last one.”

“Uh-huh, I bet.”

“It is. I just need your help with the last step.”

“Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like this?” Kuwei asked.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

“I knew I wasn’t going to like this.”

Wylan frowned. “It’s not like I’m going to take it home with me.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“What do most people do with phones, Kuwei?”

“I don’t care what _most people_ do with phones, I care what _Wylan_ does with phones. I let you borrow my watch once, and you took it apart.”

“I put it back together.”

“The sight of all those pieces scattered across your desk still haunts my nightmares.”

Wylan blushed. Admittedly he probably should have asked his friend for permission before disassembling his watch, but he hadn’t planned to do it. It was just that when he started thinking about something, he wanted to know how it worked. And as long as he put it back together, there was no real harm done, right?

All the same, it was probably better to ask first.

“I won’t take apart your phone,” he said. “I promise.”

“Fine.” Kuwei sighed. “But at least tell me what you’re up to…”

#

Jesper walked with Nina from their final class toward their lockers and thought about the list Kaz had given them.

It was a pretty small art class. Three seniors, five juniors, and a couple students from the lower grades as well. If his admirer really was one of them, that narrowed it down significantly, but they needed more clues. Asking each one individually would be both tedious and embarrassing.

“Now what?” he asked. “Any insight, Holmes?”

“Just one thought,” Nina said. “It’s a wild guess, but it’s something that stood out to me as suspicious.”

“What’s that?”

“Why do you suppose neither valentine had any sort of written message?”

Jesper frowned. “I figured he was afraid I’d recognize his handwriting. Wait, but then it would have to be someone I knew well.” It couldn’t be someone from their main group of friends. Kaz would kill himself before drawing something so cute. “Maybe he thought the art would be cuter?”

But not easier to understand. His admirer must have had a reason to avoid including a written message, as though writing a note would actually make things worse somehow…

“You think maybe he has trouble writing?” Jesper asked.

“Bingo. Kaz probably won’t help us again, but maybe Inej can get ahold of the grades for the students in this art class.”

As they reached their lockers, Jesper stopped. “You know, she might have a point. This is a little creepy.”

“If your admirer is afraid to come to you, you have to go to him.” Nina paused. “Besides, just in case he’s actually a stalker planning to kill you, you’ll have the upper hand by knowing who he is.”

“Thank you for _that_ lovely thought.”

“Don’t worry, I doubt it’s that. He might be so shy he’s actually hoping you figure out who he is.”

Jesper nodded, then turned to his locker. It still troubled him a little. On the other hand, he really wanted to know who his secret admirer was. He opened his locker and peeked inside, hopeful that there might be—

And there was!

He grabbed the new pink envelope and opened it. The latest drawing showed the two chibi figures from the previous card sitting side by side. Still no written message, which was indeed a bit suspicious. Maybe there was something to Nina’s theory.

But more importantly, beneath the drawing…

There was a phone number.


	4. Secret Admirer

Jesper had never punched a number into his phone so fast before in his life. Locker still open, he sent a quick text message to the number written in the valentine: _hello my darling!_

“He gave me his phone number,” he said to Nina. “He wants to talk to me!”

A reply came back almost immediately: _what_

Well. That was less encouraging than he’d hoped for. Jesper frowned at the phone for a minute and then sent another message. _This is Jesper._

He shut his locker and drummed his fingers against it as he waited for the reply.

_oh hang on_

“Wonder what that’s all about,” Jesper said.

Nina didn’t respond, just watched over his shoulder. At last, the next message came.

_Hi. I’m sorry about that. This is a friend’s phone I’m borrowing, so I’ll have to give it back in a few minutes, but we can chat until I have to leave._

Jesper let out a whoop of delight. “He’s talking to me! He’s talking to me!”

“Maybe we don’t need detective work after all,” Nina said.

“He didn’t exactly give me his name yet. You keep working on the case.” Phone in hand, Jesper raced out of the school to find a quiet spot where he could sit and chat to his heart’s content.

#

Wylan’s heart pounded so hard he thought he might choke. Since he had to speak his messages into the phone and listen to Jesper’s played back for him—it wasn’t worth the effort of fighting his dyslexia when he had such a short time to chat—Kuwei had politely gone to sit on the other side of the office.

They usually had about ten minutes, give or take a few. That should be enough time to at least build up a small rapport with Jesper and see if they might actually get along.

A new message came, and he played it eagerly. _So,_ the computerized voice said in his ear, reading Jesper’s words for him, _who are you?_

Wylan froze. “I’m a boy who’s had a crush on you ever since last year.”

_Come on, you gotta give me more to go on than that._

_Do we have classes together?_

_How did we meet?_

_Or just cut to the chase—what’s your name?_

Well, at least Jesper didn’t protest him being a boy. That was good. He didn’t mind a boy as his secret admirer. One step at a time. Wylan wiped his sweating hands on his pants and tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was finally talking to Jesper Fahey.

“We had the same lunch period last year,” he said into the phone, speaking carefully to make sure it interpreted his words accurately. “I sat close enough to hear you talking to your friends.”

_So it’s my amazing sense of humor that swept you off your feet?_

_Or my outrageous good looks?_

Wylan smiled. “Both.”

_So when do I get to know who you are?_

He swallowed and tried to think of a good answer. By rights, he should tell Jesper who he was right then. But the terror of how he might react paralyzed Wylan. No one liked him. Not like that. He’d have to say it eventually, but…

But he’d finally gotten to talk to Jesper, and he didn’t want it to end so soon. While he sat frozen, another series of messages came.

_Okay, you don’t have to tell me._

_What if I guess?_

_If I figure it out, will you tell me if I’m right?_

Wylan wet his lips. “Yes.”

If Jesper asked him outright if he was Wylan Van Eck, he would admit it. Then he’d probably die of a heart attack, since text messages and the little computerized voice reading them couldn’t carry Jesper’s tone to let him know how he felt about the question.

_Yay!_

The message made him smile, and some of his panic faded. Jesper was sweet. This would work out fine.

_Well, what do you do in your free time?_

Panic surged again. Was this question meant to try to figure out who he was, or was Jesper just interested in learning more about him? How much should Wylan say? He wasn’t particularly interesting, and he didn’t want to bore Jesper.

Especially with only a few minutes before the car would arrive for him. If he said the wrong things and had to leave before he could correct them, Jesper would have a whole day to think of him as a boring, unlovable person.

“I like math,” he said, and regretted it the moment he sent the message. He started a new one. “I mean, it’s not a hobby. I’m just good at it.”

He waited.

_Ooh, I attracted a smart one!_

Wylan blushed. At least bringing up math hadn’t doomed him. On the other hand, that was the only thing he thought of. He had to come up with something else quick, but his mind had gone blank. Should he talk about music? Art? There had to be something more interesting; those hobbies weren’t nearly cool enough for someone like Jesper.

_Nina said your art style is like anime._

_Do you like anime?_

_I’ve never seen any._

Anime was one of Wylan’s few escapes. He had limited options at home, but he’d managed to find a website that streamed dubbed anime, although he wished he could watch subtitled anime too, especially if they ever stopped dubbing his favorite show. Sometimes he dreamed of watching with someone who could read the subtitles for him—but even if he ever had the freedom to do that, no one would want to go to that much trouble for him.

Nevertheless, his anime provided a form of escapism he struggled to find in other media. He’d gotten good at finding shows that could make him temporarily forget he was an unloved child whose father hated him. They made him believe life could improve, even for him.

If Jesper really wanted to hear about it, Wylan was more than happy to oblige.

#

At first, Jesper didn’t think he was going to get a reply. His secret admirer did say he had to leave in a few minutes. Maybe their time was up and he hadn’t managed to send a message in time. But just as Jesper was preparing to give up for the day, a massive wall of text arrived.

_Okay, I don’t know what kind of anime you’d like, but I mainly watch shows that are fantasy, action, comedy, or romance, or a mix of the above. There’s so much variety, I’m sure you’d find something that would interest you, but since you’re new to the whole medium, I’ll just start with one of my favorites…_

From there, the message went on and on and on. Jesper scrolled down in amazement. His admirer had, apparently, written him an entire essay on his favorite anime and why he recommended it, as well as the best places to watch it online.

Jesper had been hoping to tease him out of his shell and get him to talk, but he hadn’t quite expected this. It also was pretty impressive for a text message, especially since it had perfect grammar and capitalization. Maybe Nina’s theory was way off-base after all.

_Sorry,_ the next message came. _Was that too much?_

He smirked. _No it’s cool._ It was a bit overwhelming, but he didn’t mind. Plus it gave him something to look into.

_Oh good. I was afraid I’d bored you._

Jesper was increasingly getting the impression that the reason his admirer refused to give his name was because he instinctively assumed Jesper would dislike him. That was concerning. There was only one thing to do.

_you and me,_ Jesper texted, _watching this show. when?_

_What?_ the next message said. _You want to watch it? Wait, you want to watch it with me? I’m sorry, I can’t. I’d love to talk to you about it, though._

Strange, very strange. Was he that reluctant to meet in person?

While Jesper debated about how to respond, a new text appeared on his screen. _I have to leave soon. But I was wondering… You said something about guessing who I am. Do you have any guesses?_

Oh? Maybe he wasn’t wholly opposed to shedding the anonymity, then, or maybe he wanted a better idea of what Jesper was thinking.

_not yet_

_had a clue but I think it’s wrong_

The reply came quickly. _A clue? What sort of clue? What did I do to make you think your clue is wrong?_

Definitely some nervousness there. Jesper snorted and tried to think of a good way to phrase it that wouldn’t sound insulting. Or creepy. Saying he and Nina hoped to find someone with bad English grades would come across as both.

_since you never wrote anything we thought you didn’t like writing_

_but you text with full sentences_

_and capital letters_

_and punctuation_

He sent the messages and waited. And waited. He checked the time. Several minutes had passed with no response. Maybe this time he really had been too late. He checked in case a goodbye message had come and he missed it, but there was nothing.

Had he said something insulting? Was his admirer afraid of how to respond? But Jesper wasn’t sure what to say, since he wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong.

While he agonized over it, a response finally came.

_No, you were right. I have severe dyslexia. I’m using a program on my friend’s phone that converts my speech into text. It also plays your messages for me. I guess it uses capitalization and punctuation automatically. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I probably should have told you first. I’m sorry._

Jesper scratched his head at the assumption that it was normal to begin conversations by announcing one’s learning disabilities. On the other hand, Nina’s theory had actually been right? His admirer’s identity was practically in his hands already.

Another response came. _I’m sorry, I have to give my friend back his phone now._

And end the conversation on that bizarre note? Jesper wrote a response as quickly as he could.

_wait!_

_no prob about not telling me_

_is voice chat easier?_

_want to call me next time?_

From the puzzling way his admirer had apologized for not telling Jesper about his dyslexia right off the bat, it seemed like he was ashamed of it. Jesper hoped he got his messages in time so he wouldn’t go home thinking it was a problem.

#

Wylan clutched the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. He couldn’t breathe.

“Earth to Wylan, Earth to Wylan.” Kuwei waved a hand in front of his face. “The big car is outside, you know what that means.”

He lowered the borrowed phone and stared at his friend. “Kuwei! He wants to know who I am! He asked me about anime! He wants to watch with me! And… and I told him about my dyslexia, and he doesn’t even _mind_!”

Kuwei clapped his hands slowly. “Congratulations on your crush not being a dickhead like your father.”

And Jesper wanted a phone call next time. He wanted to hear Wylan’s voice. No, it was more significant than that. Calling would probably be less convenient for Jesper. He wanted to try an option that would make things easier for Wylan, instead of sticking with what was simplest for him.

“Is swooning a real thing?” Wylan asked. “I think I’m going to do it.”

Kuwei rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “Give back my phone _before_ fainting, thank you.”

Wylan knew he couldn’t delay much longer. If he did, he’d be late getting home, and his father would punish him for it. He needed to give his friend the phone and then leave. But first, Wylan sent one last message to Jesper.

“Let’s do it.”


	5. Valentine

“All right,” Inej said as they sat down at lunch the next day, “even though stalking your admirer goes against my principles—”

“He started it,” Jesper said. “And besides, he said it was okay to try to figure out who he is. He’ll even tell me if I guess right.”

Her eyebrows lifted, and she shook her head slightly. “Fine, here.” She held out a printed sheet of paper. “Last semester’s grades for the students in that art class.”

Jesper grabbed the paper eagerly.

Nina already had a pen in her hand. “All right, English grades?”

“Go for it.”

She started crossing off names that had good grades in their English classes, leaving the worst untouched. “Anything else?”

Jesper thought for a moment. “He’s good at math.”

She went through and crossed off any remaining names with poor math grades. The list shrunk considerably. With it being a small class to begin with, that left them with only a few names to look through.

“And he’s a boy,” Jesper said.

Nina crossed off the remaining girls from the list. Searching for a boy in the art class who did poorly in English and good in math left them with only two names left.

One of them was Wylan Van Eck.

Jesper stared at his name and thought back to the nervous kid they’d passed in the hall. His grades were pretty extreme, too, with an F in English and an A+ in math.

Nina whistled. “Think the rich boy’s after you?”

“I…” Jesper’s heart sank. “No way. This kid has to borrow a friend’s phone. There’s no way Van Eck wouldn’t have his own phone.”

She clapped her hands together. “Then that leaves us with only one possibility. You want to talk to him?”

Jesper hesitated.

Even though his experience with Wylan was limited to the conflicting reports from Kaz and Matthias and the few times they’d passed in the halls, he had to admit to some disappointment it wasn’t him. There was something special about a kid as rich as Wylan Van Eck crushing on a random senior.

More importantly, seeing how nervous Wylan had been in the hallway just made Jesper want to… hug him. Find a way to make everything better.

He didn’t even know who the other kid on the list _was._ Some sophomore he’d never met.

“I’ll keep pressing my admirer for information,” Jesper said. “I’m not convinced we have all the clues just yet.”

#

They had a pep rally scheduled before the end of class. As a member of the band, that meant Wylan got to leave his final class early to practice.

He nudged Kuwei.

His friend glanced up at him. “Yes?”

“Can I take your phone to the pep rally?”

“ _What?_ ”

“Please? I want to talk to him in my free time!”

Kuwei rolled his eyes and handed over the phone. “Just tell him who you are.”

“I’m afraid to.”

“Why? If he’s as wonderful as you think, it’ll go fine.”

Wylan wanted to believe that, but he couldn’t help but fear that if Jesper learned he was the one who sent the valentines, he wouldn’t want anything more to do with him.

#

When Jesper got a text message in the middle of class, he assumed it was from one of friends. However, when he surreptitiously checked, he found a message from his admirer instead.

_I figured I’d better not call, since you’ll be in class right now. If you want to talk after the pep rally, though, I still want to._

Surprised, Jesper set his phone on his desk, shielded by his books to be less noticeable. He wrote a quick response. _Yes!_ Not only did he want to hear his admirer’s voice, but it had to be easier for him with his trouble reading.

Wait, there was something odd about that last message. His admirer only didn’t call because Jesper would be in class. As if they’d have been able to talk on the phone if Jesper wasn’t.

Puzzled, he sent another message. _aren’t you in class?_

He barely heard the lecture as he waited for the response. When it came, he checked it immediately.

_We’re preparing for the pep rally. Practice is over, so everyone’s just talking now. I wasn’t sure if you’d text during class, but I thought I’d at least send a message for when you were ready._

Jesper grinned. _talking to you > class_

_that was a greater than sign, in case your software doesn’t know_

Really, he barely knew his crush, but he already wanted to know all about him. Learning about each other through these little exchanges brought him a sense of joy.

_I’m sorry,_ the response came a moment later.

He frowned. _for what?_

_Not being able to read,_ his admirer said.

If Jesper hadn’t been in class trying to hide the fact that he was texting, he probably would have shouted out loud in annoyance that this nervous admirer thought his dyslexia was something to apologize for.

He quickly sent his own response.

_didn’t mean to insult you_

_shouldn’t I mention the software?_

_but really I don’t mind_

_why would I mind???_

There was a long period of time with no responses, and he was forced to actually look ahead and pretend to be paying attention, until at last another message came.

_I know someone who says it makes me a burden. You don’t feel that way, then? If you do, I won’t be upset. I’ll understand._

Jesper snorted.

_who said that to you? I’ll punch them!_

_just tell me if I can help at all_

_that’s all I want, to help_

He drummed his fingers on his desk as he waited.

_Thank you. That means a lot to me._

Jesper breathed a sigh of relief. Then he started thinking. If his admirer had to “practice” for the pep rally, that most likely meant he was in the band. Sports could be possible, but he seemed like more of a band sort of person. Jesper fought the urge to text Nina to text Matthias to find out who in the band room was chatting into a phone.

Instead, he sent a quick message. _you have email or anything for at home?_ More time talking to this kid could only improve their relationship.

_I’m sorry, I can’t. If my father caught me talking to you, I don’t even want to think about what would happen. Borrowing my friend’s phone is the best I can do._

Jesper had a terrible suspicion his admirer’s father was the one who filled him with such doubts about himself. He wrote a reply.

_no prob_

Wait.

Wait a minute.

If his admirer’s only reason for not using a phone of his own was that it would cause trouble from his father…

…then it was entirely possible for him to be Wylan Van Eck.

Did he dare make a guess? He hesitated.

_Oops, it’s time for us to get started. I’ll talk to you later._

Jesper glanced at the clock. The pep rally would be starting shortly. Well, at least they’d get to talk again soon.

#

Wylan sat waiting in the flute section, but as the students filed into the gym to watch the pep rally, his gaze went straight to Jesper’s section. The tall senior walked in with his usual group of friends and sat down, casual as always, gorgeous as ever.

As he spoke to his friends, Wylan couldn’t help but admire him. His strong profile, the way he smiled when he laughed, his piercing gray eyes—and suddenly he was looking straight at Wylan.

Wylan instinctively looked away before their gazes could meet. Then he dared another look. Jesper was still watching him. His cheeks heated. Did Jesper suspect?

And if he did… was that necessarily a bad thing?

Jesper was nice. Their conversations had gone well so far. Kuwei was right. Eventually, Wylan had to take that next step, or it would never go anywhere. He took a deep breath and offered a shy smile. Jesper’s eyes lit up. He grinned in return and winked.

For the rest of the pep rally, Wylan had a hard time concentrating on his music.

#

The moment the pep rally ended, Jesper jumped to his feet. Normally everyone would hang out with their friends a little longer until the school day came to a close, but he was a man with a mission.

“Where are you going?” Nina asked.

“To interrogate my prime suspect,” he said with a grin, and then made a beeline for the assembled band students, who were all putting their instruments away.

Footsteps pounded behind him, and Nina caught up.

Jesper gave her a suspicious look.

“What?” she asked, the picture of innocence. “I’m just going to talk to Matthias.”

Sure, sure—but it didn’t matter, because he had almost reached Wylan. Jesper lost sight of everything except the kid in front of him, who looked up at his approach and immediately turned bright red.

“Hey,” Jesper said. “Can we talk?”

Wylan squeaked and snapped his flute case shut. “Yes, yes, of course!” He had his backpack on the vacated seat next to him, and he scrambled so quickly to move it out of the way, he knocked his music stand over in the process.

Politely pretending he hadn’t noticed, Jesper sat down in the empty seat. Up close, Wylan’s nervousness was even more apparent. He also was _so_ cute. Jesper had to shake his head at himself for never taking notice of the quiet junior before. The red-gold curls demanded someone’s fingers run through them, and those deep blue eyes made his heart skip a beat.

“Is it you?” Jesper asked. “Are you my secret admirer?”

Wylan’s blush deepened, but he managed a nod. “Yes.” He ducked his head. “I didn’t expect you to come over here…”

“You said you’d tell me if I guessed correctly, so…” Jesper had his suspicions ever since learning the reason behind the borrowed phone, but when he caught the other boy sneaking glances at him before the pep rally, that all but confirmed them. “You don’t mind me being here, do you?”

“No!” Wylan glanced up at him. “Um, if you aren’t happy that it’s me, I completely understand, and—”

Jesper reached out to touch his shoulder, which silenced him immediately. “I don’t know why you’re so hard on yourself, but I want to get to know you better.” He smirked. “And you didn’t have to do all the subterfuge, you know. Walking up to me as Wylan would have been fine.”

“Sorry!” Wylan was practically shaking. “I’ve just had a crush on you for so long, and I was afraid you’d…”

“What?” Jesper asked softly.

“Think I was just a stupid rich kid. The last time I tried to ask someone out, he… said he didn’t want to be with a spoiled brat.” Wylan looked down at his hands. “And he didn’t even know about my… you know. Problem.”

“His loss is my gain.” Jesper leaned close and grinned. “Can’t imagine anyone wanting to miss out on you.”

Wylan blushed yet again.

“Your art is almost as cute as you are,” Jesper said, unable to resist embarrassing him further. “I enjoyed the couple conversations we had, too. Why don’t we—”

“There you are!” The black-haired boy Jesper had seen with Wylan in the halls ran up to them and gave Wylan an exasperated look. “What are you waiting for? You always leave way ahead of—ah!” He noticed Jesper at last. “Whoa, do you mean you actually did it? You actually talked to him?”

Wylan glared at him. “Shut up.”

Jesper laughed. “The phone’s owner, I assume?”

“Yes,” Wylan said, “this is Kuwei.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, which he handed to his friend.

Kuwei took it, but he looked worried. “Make sure you get to the office in time, all right?”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

He turned his attention to Jesper next. “As for you, don’t you _dare_ hurt him. I don’t care _who_ your friends are.”

Jesper lifted his hands. “Whoa, I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

Kuwei still looked suspicious, but he finally walked away.

“Sorry,” Wylan said. “I guess he’s gotten a little protective of me.”

“What was all that about needing to be at the office in time?”

He lowered his head. “I need to be there when the car arrives to take me home. If I didn’t get home at the right time, I’d be in a lot of trouble.”

“Your father?”

Wylan flinched. “Yes.”

“Why don’t we take a quiet walk to the office together, then? You’ll get there in plenty of time, and we can spend some more time together on the way.”

The other boy looked up shyly. “I’d like that a lot.”

They stood up, and Jesper waited patiently while Wylan gathered his things. Once he had everything, they started toward the door. Jesper made sure to walk just close enough to reassure the other boy that he was there, that it wasn’t some trick to get rid of him.

Behind them, Nina—who was most definitely talking to Matthias and not eavesdropping in any way—burst into delighted squeals.

#

Wylan could feel Jesper’s warmth against him as they left the gymnasium. Out in the hall, he slowed so they could walk side by side. Emboldened by how well things had gone so far, he edged a little closer to brush shoulders.

Jesper’s smile was radiant. “You know, my friend’s boyfriend is in band with you. I’m surprised we never had a chance to talk earlier.”

Wylan blushed. “I’m glad we do now, at least.”

“Me too. I want to get to know you.”

“Great!” Despite his attempt at sounding enthusiastic, Wylan started to sweat.

This was it again, the part where he had to find a way to sound interesting. He’d already talked way too much about anime. Math would be a terrible conversation point. Maybe it was time to learn more about Jesper instead.

“What do you like to do in your free time?” he asked.

Jesper winked. “Why don’t we find a place where we can be alone, and I’ll show you?”

Wylan blushed furiously. “I… Um…”

“Relax.” The other boy ran his fingers down Wylan’s arm with a soft chuckle. “I’m teasing.”

Thank God. He exhaled slowly and tried not to show how out of his depth he felt. He’d never really flirted with anyone before. What was he supposed to do when Jesper said things like that?

“I like to play cards,” Jesper said, “although I’m not very good. I also go to the shooting range from time to time.”

Cards and guns. This didn’t bode well for things they had in common.

“And I play video games! Do you, uh, like video games?”

His slight hesitation made Wylan look up at the taller boy in surprise. For the first time, he didn’t see someone who was supremely self-confident and in control, but someone who was anxiously searching for common ground and hoping this would work out, just like him.

Wylan smiled. “I can’t really play video games, because my father would disapprove, but I’d love to try them sometime.”

“Then it’s a date!” Jesper slipped his arm around Wylan’s waist and tugged him close. “You bring the anime, I’ll bring the video games, and we’ll figure something out.”

Despite his first instinct being to pull away in embarrassment, Wylan stayed pressed against him. After a moment, he hesitantly put his own arm around Jesper’s waist as well. Jesper knew his feelings already, so why hide them?

They walked together like that all the way to the office.

Inside, Wylan glanced at the clock. He only had another minute or two before he’d have to leave. He looked into Jesper’s eyes.

“Before you go,” Jesper said, “can I ask you something?”

“S-Sure, what?”

“I know we can’t exactly go _out_ , because of your situation, but… is that what you want?”

Wylan blushed. “You want to date me?”

“I at least want to try.”

“Me too,” he whispered. “I want to.”

“Can I kiss you?”

He glanced around. The school office was largely empty by this time of the day. The secretaries never paid them much mind. The only person who might see was Kuwei, and he was studiously pretending to be fascinated by the opposite wall.

Wylan nodded. “Yes.”

Jesper drew him close and gaze into his eyes for a moment. Then he kissed him.

It was as sweet and soft and wonderful as Wylan had ever hoped for. He nervously wrapped his arms around the other boy and returned his kiss. They separated, and Jesper smiled at him. He kept looking at Wylan’s lips like he wanted to do it again.

But when Wylan glanced outside, the car had arrived. He reluctantly stepped away. “See you tomorrow?”

“I can’t wait.”

With a shy smile, Wylan turned toward the door. As he walked away with his lips still tingling from Jesper’s, he felt like he’d been given a shield to protect him from everything he feared. He looked back.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said. “Even if it’s a little late.”

Jesper grinned. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit shorter than my other Modern AU stories, but I hope you enjoyed this as a cute little story for Valentine's Day!
> 
> (Thanks to writing this, I now can add "Jesper attempts to read subtitled anime out loud for Wylan as they watch" to my list of Jesper-reading-to-Wylan scenarios.)
> 
> Once again, I hope you enjoyed it!


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